


Birthday Girl

by Garak



Category: RWBY
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Pancakes, Renora
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 10:28:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21354787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Garak/pseuds/Garak
Summary: The gang find out that Nora has no idea when her birthday is, let alone celebrated it.
Relationships: Lie Ren & Nora Valkyrie
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	Birthday Girl

**Birthday Girl**

“Surprise!”

_Pop! Pop! Pop!_

Nora shielded herself against a hail of confetti, while her heart attempted to squeeze out of her ribcage. Her eyes darted around the dorm room, taking in assorted decorations of balloons and crude streamers made from crepe paper. Jaune and Pyrrha stretched out a hand painted banner between them, with team RWBY clustered behind it, the remains of poppers in their hands. Ruby blew a party horn that unfurled with a shrill honk.

“Happy Brithday, Nora!” she said.

“Brith... day?” Nora raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I messed the sign up.” Ruby said, rubbing the back of her neck.

Nora looked down. “Brithday. Right.”

_Pop!_

“Sorry, had trouble getting mine off.” Yang muttered.

Flicking stray confetti from her hair, Nora forced a broad grin onto her face.

“Aw guys, it's not even my birthday!”

“_At least you weren't premature, like Jaune.”_

“_Hey, I barely touched it! Not my fault you made it so sensitive, Ice Queen. ”_

“We know,” Pyrrha said, passing her end of the banner to a bickering Weiss. “But when you said you've never had a birthday party...”

“_Blake likes it when I finish la– Ow!”_

“We had to throw you one!” Ruby piped up. “You may not know what day your birthday is, but we can still party!”

_Shronk!_

“We have snacks, and presents as well.” Jaune said, gesturing.

Scanning the laden makeshift table, Nora let out a an inaudible sigh. A particular item was absent, much to her relief. She guessed Ren had made sure the party wouldn't have _that_. She straightened up and relaxed into her smile. _I can survive this!_

Blake popped up beside her, offering a neatly wrapped present.

“This is from me, happy birthday.” she said.

“Oh thanks, I needed a new book.” Nora said cheerfully.

“Why does everyone assume it's a book?” Blake grumbled. “You didn't even open it.”

“Because it always is.” Yang teased, moving to a plate of devilled eggs.

Thanking Blake again, Nora bounced from person to person, picking up more gifts and happily chatting. Her anxiety ebbed as the constant “Happy birthdays!” slowly become familiar, almost welcome.

“What is it?” Nora exclaimed, tearing paper away to reveal a thickly packaged board game.

“It's called The Clodhoppers,” Weiss sniffed. “You play as a rustic family trying to survive in the wildness outside the kingdoms. Ruby _insisted_ I buy it.”

“Thanks Weiss, we can definitely break this in later. Where did Ruby go away?”

Before she could get an answer, the lights dimmed and singing erupted behind her.

“_Happy birthday to you...”_

Turning, Nora was greeted by Ruby holding a cake smothered in frosting. Candles haphazardly studded the surface, burning with brilliant orange flames along with a couple of fizzing sparklers.

“_Happy birthday to you...”_

“I know Ren told us you don't like cake, but what's a birthday without it?” Ruby gushed.

“_Happy birthday my little angel...”_

The slap reverberated around the room, sharp and sudden. Nora watched the cake tumble from Ruby's hands to hit the floor with a wet splat, pink icing splitting open to reveal layers of pancakes. Nora wondered what happened.

“Nora!” Pyrrha gasped.

Looking up, she found a wide eyed Ruby grasping a scarlet cheek. Nora was suddenly aware of her arm hovering across her body, fingers tingling from the keen impact.

“I... why did I?” Nora stuttered, staring dumbfounded at her hand. “I didn't mean to–“

“_... anything for the birthday girl...”_

Nora blinked. “It's my fault...” she whispered.

“_...is late, isn't she, angel? I'll pop out and see what...”_

Tears stung her eyes as Nora dropped to her knees. Madly grinning, she began to scoop the remains of the cake back onto the plate.

“_...hide! Stay there until...”_

“It's fine, I won't waste it!” she giggled, stabbing the still smouldering candles into the mess. “I bet you worked really hard on it, and it's only a birthday if... there's...”

_The misshapen lump left crumpled in the middle of the road wasn't the pretty cake Nora had been promised. Splattered blood stained the white frosting with blots of pink, the candles broken and scattered in the dirt._

_She counted 6. _

_Nora knelt down and broke off a piece, the cake crumbling in her fingers, stale after two days left in the open. She shoved it into her mouth. Coughing around the dry mouthful, Nora grabbed another handful, then another. She tasted smoke, arid and bitter, but didn't stop eating. After all, Mommy worked hard to make it._

“Nora, stop! You don't have to eat it!”

Rough hands shook Nora back into the present. Jaune knelt in front of her, worry etched into his face. She dropped a handful of smashed cake.

“Are you alright?” Jaune asked.

Pushing Jaune away, Nora scrabbled to her feet. She wretched the door open and ran through, ploughing into a surprised Ren carrying a covered basket.

“Nora? What happened?” he asked.

Words evaporated on Nora's tongue, lost in the coying sweetness of frosting. She swiped at her mouth with the back of a gloved hand, attempting to scrape the remaining cake off her face. Ren gently took her wrist, stopping her. His eyes lingered on smeared mess covering her hands.

“Oh, Nora...”

Her face screwed up, vision wavering as hot tears pooled in her eyes. Nora snatched her hand away and ran.

–

Nora sat perched on the edge of the dorm roof, legs pulled up to her chest. She cradled her head in arms folded across her knees, muffling the voices of students floating up from courtyard below. The light breeze tugged at her skirt, soft and insistent. She wished she could drift away with it.

She felt, rather than heard, Ren sit down. He had a knack for finding her. Tilting her head, Nora peeked at her silent partner. Ren held the basket in his lap while calmly looking over campus, expression neutral. Nora sighed and turned back into the crook of her arm.

Ren was _unreasonably_ patient.

Silence irritated her. Even now, a powerful need to dispel the quiet welled up in her, threatening to bubble forth into incessant chatter. She couldn't help it, a fact that Ren took advantage of. Nora tightened up further, steeling her defences. This time she would make him work for it.

“You know, someone could look up your skirt if you sit like that.”

Nora lashed out and thumped Ren's shoulder.

“You never play fair.” she grumbled, curling back up again.

A faint smirk flickered across Ren's lips. “Playing by the rules is boring.” he said.

“Ugh, it's always the quiet ones.”

Ren shrugged. “It's our way to manage the loud ones.”

Nora smiled in the safety of fort Valkyrie; Ren _really_ wasn't playing fair.

“Do you want to the back to the party?” Ren asked.

Smile fleeing, Nora shook her head. “No. I sort of, definitely ruined it.” she said.

“They're worried about you.”

“They shouldn't be, I acted terribly.” Nora moaned.

“They'll understand.” Ren said simply.

Nora let out a long, shuddering breath. Uncoiling, she dangled her legs over the edge and leaned back on her hands to peer up at the clouds. _Will they understand? _She thought. They were all thrown together only a few months ago, how well did she know her new friends? If she told them, would they blame her? _They wouldn't be wrong..._

A shadow passed over her face, quickly followed by a warm, damp cloth landing on it. Nora peeled it off, catching a whiff of butter. She lifted her head to find Ren holding the uncovered basket, heaped with pancakes.

“Thought you might want to clean up.” he said.

Nora grinned and sat up. “You sure made a lot. Someone must love pancakes.” She said, working the gunk off her hands.

“Well, they're technically not cakes, as someone often points out.”

“They sound pretty smart,” Nora said, wiping her face. “You don't fry cakes! It's just a flat do-nut without a hole.”

“That's what I hear,” Ren smiled. He stood and offered her a hand. “Ready to go?”

Nora hesitated, then took his hand.

“No, but I can't stay here forever.” she said as Ren pulled her up. “Will they even want to see me?”

“I don't think that will be a problem.” Ren said, inclining his head.

Turning, Nora caught a few worried faces ducking back out of sight behind the doorway, followed by Ruby a few heartbeats later.

“_I think she saw us, guys!”_

“_For a someone with a speed semblance you're awfully slow, Ruby Rose.”_

Nora rolled her eyes at Ren. “You really don't play fair, do you?”

Ren shrugged. “Rules are boring.”

Her team mates and RWBY funnelled out onto the roof top. Nora fought the urge to step back, her resolve dripping away. Her mouth dried up, and for the first time she struggled to fill the silence.

“I'm so sorry,” Ruby blurted out. “Ren warned us to not to make a cake, I didn't listen. And-”

Nora held her palms out, stopping Ruby's babbling. “Wait, you're sorry?” she asked dumbstruck.

“Of course! There must be a good reason for your reaction!”

Nora mutely nodded.

“Oh! You don't need to tell us though.”

“I– I don't?” Nora croaked.

“Not if you don't want to.” Ruby said.

“I want to...”

“_But why can't there be any cake.” Nora whined. “It's my birthday.”_

“_Honey, there's nowhere to buy a cake out here.” her father said._

_Nora pouted and folded her arms. “I liked living in the city, not this dumb camp.”_

_Her parents exchanged a glance, frowning._

“_I might be able to scrounge up enough ingredients in the cafeteria to make a cake.” her mother mused._

“_Really, Mommy?” Nora asked. _

_Her mother wrapped her in warm arms. Nora giggled as she was noisily kissed._

“_Anything for the birthday girl, Mommy will try her best to make a cake, angel.” _

Nora's head drooped. “But it's so hard...” she said hoarsely.

_Old maps lay spread on the table between them. Her father cut them into strips while Nora glued them together into a long paper chain, her tongue stuck out in concentration. Her father glanced at his watch._

“_Mum is late, isn't she, angel? I'll pop out and see what's taking her so long.”_

“_But we're almost done!”_

“_Oh? Not worried about the cake now?” he teased, ruffling her hair._

“_Cake! Okay Daddy, I can keep going. You find Mommy.” Nora said, eyes sparkling._

Nora swiped at her eyes, dashing away tears before they could fall. “I lied about not knowing my birthday, because... because...”

_Hiding under the table, Nora trembled as the screams pierced the thin, prefab walls. She jumped when the door banged open._

“_Nora!”_

“_Daddy?” _

_Nora poked her head out, squealing when strong arms scooped her up. Something warm and wet plastered against her face. It smelled like the time her mother boiled the kettle dry. _

_Passing into the bedroom, he dropped her onto the bed before yanking open the large trunk at the foot of it. He frantically hurled the contents out. _

_Nora gasped at the red stains soaking into his shirt. “Daddy, you're hurt.”_

_Her father paused, blinking as if noticing the blood for the first time. He smiled wanly._

“_No, it's – it's not mine sweetie, Daddy's fine.” he said, picking Nora up and placing her in the trunk._

“_Wait, stop! I don't want to go in there!” Nora said struggling._

“_You need to hide! Stay there until I come and get you, please angel.”_

Nora's hands clenched into fists. “If I didn't want a stupid, fucking cake my parents would still... I'm...”

Warm arms wrapped around her. Strong arms followed.

“It's okay, don't force yourself.” Pyrrha said from somewhere in the huddle.

“We know you would never do that on purpose.” Jaune chimed in.

The tension in Nora vanished, as if washed away by a sudden wave. She grinned. Gathering those in front of her into her arms, Nora heaved. With surprised shrieks, she sent them all tumbling to the ground into a heap. She laughed in the stunned pile, infectiously spreading it to the group until they were a giggling mess. Her giggling mess.

“It's really fine, isn't it?” she gasped.

“Yep!” Ruby said, head popping up from under Weiss. “We understand.”

“Someone told me you might.”

“They sound pretty smart.” Ren quipped, peeling a pancake off his shirt.

“Besides,” Yang said. “We all have secrets. Share when you're ready.”

–

“Oh no!” Ruby exclaimed. “I'm teen pregnant!”

Yang's fist pummelled the ground. “Sarah-Lynn Ruby! I raised you better than this!”

“But Papa, I love him!”

“Who's the father?” Yang demanded. “It's not that Billy-Bob Weiss, is it? I'll kill him!”

Weiss peered up from the thick _Clodhopper_ manual in her hand. “You need to roll initiative before you can accuse me, Yang.” she said.

“Oh right. I need a 8 or higher, don't I?” Yang asked, picking up the dice.

“Yes. You can also add your intimidating father modifier.” Weiss replied.

Dice bounced off the expansive game board and landed between two miniature barns. Nora craned in and whooped along with Yang at the successful roll. She laughed at Weiss' exaggerated drawl as she declared she would be a devoted baby daddy. She sided with Jaune in his feud against Blake over a disputed turnip field, and winced in sympathy as Pyrrha failed all her romantic checks.

A plate of pancakes, thick with syrup, blocked her view. She took it from Ren and playfully bounced her shoulder off his, grateful for more of the totally-not-cakes.

“What was that for?” Ren asked.

“It's a secret.” Nora winked back.

Ren had been her partner long before Beacon, and would hopefully be long after. A life without him seemed grey and bleak. And now he wasn't the only source of light and comfort in her life.

She counted 6.

**Author's Note:**

> Another r/RWBY writing prompt. Initially it ended when Nora ran away, but I couldn't leave it there. Thoughts and comments welcome!


End file.
